


Comic Book Heroes

by OtherCat



Series: OtherCat's Snippets and Incomplete Fic [11]
Category: Chrno Crusade
Genre: Character Study, Drama, Epistolary, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2007-12-31
Updated: 2008-09-14
Packaged: 2017-10-07 15:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OtherCat/pseuds/OtherCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The 1930s might have been the beginning of the end, but for some it was a Golden Age. Post anime, Joshuacentric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jack Kirby is the Bees Knees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might say this is in reaction to Claire's question to Ewan, which was something like: "Will Joshua always have the heart of a twelve year old?" My answer: Yep. But not in the way you mean.

**Interview With Benjamin Christopher, editor and CEO of Logos Comics--Comics Revue Magazine October 16, 1987 pg. 17 (excerpt)**

**COMICSREVUE: **So, what's it like being the son of a comic book legend?

**BC: (Laughs) **I thought that was Jack Kirby--Dad always thought that Kirby was "the bees knees." Being the son of Josh Christopher wasn't really any different from being anyone else's kid, except I was allowed to read comic books at the dinner table.

**COMICSREVUE: **Not the traditional image of a Fifties-era household then.

**BC: **No, Dad would have been a Beatnik if Mom or Sister Azmaria had let him get away with it. He was really easy going--rules were pretty flexible, unless the Sister was visiting.

**COMICSREVUE: **This would be Sister Azmaria of the Madgalen Order?

**BC: **Yes. Now she's a legend. One of the kindest women I've met--also the strictest!

**COMICSREVUE: **No comic book reading during the dinner hour when she visited then.

**BC: (Laughs.) **Heck no.

**COMICSREVUE: **Is it true that Sister Azmaria **(who as a child was a highly regarded singer with unusual spiritual strength--ed.)** was the inspiration for the superheroine Nightingale?

**BC: **One of the inspirations. He wanted to create a character who used her singing to heal others and stop criminals, but who couldn't heal herself.

**COMICSREVUE: **That's always been a recurring theme in the Logos universe, hasn't it? The hero who can't save him or herself. Nightingale can only heal others, the person who becomes Virtue only has seven years to live, Gabriel Hunter is literally haunted by his past. Even in Astral Line Rose, Joseph and Kern encounter situations that have resulted in at best, mixed victories.

**BC: **Dad was at ground zero in San Francisco during "The Magdalen Incident." He was strongly affected by the experience, and by the friendships he developed with the members of the Order who nursed him back to health. He believed that tragedy and grief could become the foundation of a greater victory.

**COMICSREVUE:**Nightingale defeating Millennium during the Pandemonium crossover for instance.

**BC: **And Gabriel Hunter being able to befriend Gray Wolf because they had griefs in common, and Virtue's team up with Wrath back in the 60's. In the real world, he always said that the horrors of the second world war prevented a third one from happening. He's always told me that, "there is nothing in this world that does not have some flaw in it. There is no victory that did not come from a defeat. There is no one who isn't carrying some terrible burden. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you something."

**COMICSREVUE: **One of the most notable things about Logos comics is its attention to detail. Unlike Marvel or DC, which resets their timelines or adds new retroactive continuity to keep the various histories straight--Logos continuity remains unbroken, with no resets. What goes into the process of keeping everything in line?

**BC: **Hours and hours of everyone shouting, "you're wrong!" at each other. Dad always insisted that the various writing and artist teams keep track of what the other guys were writing. Fred Williams **(Copy editor and office manager for Logos Comics. Partner and long time friend of Joshua Christopher, and the editor of Lilim during the fifties--ed.) **would compile and sort all the story lines, and Dad would veto anything that didn't fit in with the world. Whatever they worked out would then go into what ended up being called the Logos Bible so everyone could keep current with whatever story line was going on.

**COMICSREVUE: **That sounds like a lot of work.

**BC: **Oh, it was, and still is, even with computers.

**COMICSREVUE: **And the first three volumes are being published January this year?

**BC: **1935 to 1945, 1946 to 1956, and 1957 to 1967. There's going to be character profiles, early character sketches and scripts, short stories written by Dad and Fred, along with a lot of historical context, and short biographies of the artists and writers.


	2. Heroine's Journey

**Halprin, Allissa. Rose and the Heroine's Journey: A Feminist Perspective on the Astral Line** _ **Bluestocking: The Journal of Feminist Literature ** _ **November 12, 2003 pgs 23-25 (excerpt)**

My first introduction to the adventures of Rose, Kern, and Joseph occurred in 1983 at my grandfather's house in Illinois. I was snooping around in his attic when I came across trunks full of comic books. Granddad had a huge collection. Superman, Spiderman, Captain Marvel, Fantastic Four, Batman, Wonder Woman, Virtue, Nightingale, representatives from the Big Three and other companies. But the one that caught my eye was a magazine called Logos Adventure Comics. Instead of brooding bats and sarcastically quipping webslingers I fell hard for a short tempered blond, her mystical brother and their best friend Kern, a purple-haired boy with a mysterious past and the ability to "bend time."

The first Astral Line stories were a short five page serial sandwiched between _Lord Twilight_, a familiar send up of heroes like_The Shadow _and _The Phantom_, and a series of short horror stories called _The Spider's Web_. The first story arc features the first meeting of Rose and Joseph with Kern, and what becomes their quest to find Kern's heart which has been stolen by Aurum the White. (This theme is very similar of course, to both Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," and the fairy tale type "Devil's Heart in a Egg.") Since Kern will eventually die without his heart, Rose offers hers as a temporary replacement, something that will shorten both their lives.

Rose is not the most powerful (though she eventually acquires the ability to manipulate the eponymous mystical river of souls) but she is the definite leader of the three, something that was very unusual for the times. Rose was a character who seldom needed rescuing--in an odd reversal of the usual role of the comic book heroine of the Golden and Silver Age, Rose was usually the one doing the rescuing, generally of her brother, though Kern also needed rescuing on occasion.

Rose was both a loving protector of her younger brother, and his chief source of aggravation. The brotherly or sisterly teasing, sarcastic humor and sibling arguments and rivalry were charmingly true to life, and one of my primary reasons for falling in love with the comic. Another reason is the relationship between the three friends. Kern, released from a sleep of a hundred years by Rose and Joseph steps into the relationship as a sort of older brother.

Kern is a quiet and solemn figure in contrast with the exuberance of the siblings, though over the course of the story he develops a gently sarcastic wit. Kern is a story teller who opens up the world for the children through his stories. Joseph is inspired by these stories, and wants make stories of his own, while Rose wants to make Joseph's dreams come true.

The Astral Line is also about Rose's journey into adulthood as she follows the hero's journey of initiation, quests, and rewards. Unlike the usual situation of the female protagonist (who must choose between family and tradition and breaking with it), Rose is never presented with this choice. She makes her own choices, fully supported by her brother and Kern.


	3. Selected Journal Entries 1930 to 1937

_ **Monday, November 17, 1930** _

My first appointment with a psychiatrist went better than I thought it would. Dr. Cohn is a very nice man, and not the witch doctor I was expecting. (I remember someone telling me some really scary stories about electroshock treatments and insane asylums when I was younger.) His receptionist is a very pretty girl named Raizel. (For some reason, that name sounds familiar. Possibly the same person who told me those awful stories about insane asylums and psychiatrists? I hope not, that would be an terrible memory association to have for a girl like Raizel.)

The first appointment was general introductions and reassurance that the electroshock wasn't likely to happen. I told him as much as I could remember about my life (not a lot), and I had to take a few tests. When the hour was up, we shook hands, and Ewan spoke to Dr. Cohn for a few minutes and we went to the grocer's before going home. I talked Ewan into buying me a _National Geographic _and a couple detective pulps.

* * *

_ **Wednesday, August 12, 1931 ** _

Fred is a very patient person and should get a medal for putting up with me. The other day I was at Fred's Grandmother's store in Harlem. While I was helping Fred stock shelves someone's tire blew out in the street, and for some reason, I thought Fred had been shot, or that I had somehow shot him.

The poor guy got me calmed down, and Mrs. Williams called Ewan to come pick us up. (I think I remember her telling Fred he might as well take the day off and make sure that white boy was all right. I knew she'd warm to me eventually.) I wasn't thinking too clearly, and probably frightened Ewan (not to mention Fred and Mrs. Williams ) with my carrying on.

I was embarrassed as hell after the fact, because it's the first time I've had a fit like that in front of Fred. (He says I've occasionally called him strange names, but I don't remember.) Fred told me to stop apologizing and get a grip, so I did.

That night I had a nightmare. I dreamed I was holding a gun on a little kid. There was a woman there, shouting my name, and there was this horrible noise filling my head. I was angry in the dream, and also frightened, because I could hear someone screaming, and I knew the only way I could make the screaming stop was if I fired the gun. I woke up in a cold sweat, with Ewan in the room, asking if I was all right. I didn't tell him what I had been dreaming about though.

Azmaria's birthday is in another week, I should probably get her something.

I'm hoping to get into school next year. I don't seem to have anything resembling a highschool diploma, and only a theoretical knowledge of how to get into a good college. Ewan says he'll help, though he really doesn't seem very optimistic about my chances.

* * *

_ **Tuesday, March 8, 1933** _

I am slicker than Rudy Valentino. (I won't say more handsome, because that would be conceited.) The amazing, the beautiful, the goddess given human form known to us mere mortals as Raizel Bernstein has consented to letting me take her out to dinner and a movie.

I'd been trying to get up the courage to ask her out for weeks now, and it just kind of popped out while we were talking after my appointment with Dr. Cohn. We were talking about movies, and the next thing I knew, I was asking her if she'd like to go sometime, and she said "yes, when?"

I said, "how about Thursday?"

And we exchanged phone numbers and addresses.

Fred laughed at me and said I was acting like a kid who'd never been on a date when I told him about it--then made fun of me some more when I told him I'd_never_ been on a date before. Ewan's reaction was a little odd though. A sort of twitch when I mentioned her name. I have no idea why, and as usual, he wouldn't explain when I called him on it.

* * *

_ **Sunday, April 29, 1934** _

I had the dream again.

There's this Indian sitting with his back against a tree, and a blond girl sitting beside him. She's leaning against his shoulder, and his arm is around her shoulders. The Indian is telling a story to the both of us. I'm always glad to be there, but I'm also kind of frustrated, because I know that when I wake up, I won't remember the story, or the names of the girl or the Indian.

Sometimes I'll hear a voice calling my name. There's a dark haired woman with a picnic basket over her arm. Sometimes I end up walking with her along a beach, and sometimes she simply waves, before turning back toward the house alone. I've never been to the house, but I know there's someone waiting there for me.

I wonder what Dr. Cohn would make of it. I haven't told either him or Ewan about the dreams (though I suppose if Ewan is snooping in my diary he probably already knows). The dreams I have of the house on the beach feel too private to talk about. I have an almost superstitious feeling that if I were to talk about these dreams to someone, I'd never be able to have the dream again. It's fairy tale logic, but I don't want to test it.

* * *

_ **Monday, January 20, 1936** _

She said yes.

* * *

_ **Thursday, September 30, 1937** _

I looked at some of my old drafts of the first Astral Line stories, and I'm kind of horrified at how bad they are. The art didn't bother me so much--I just just doodling with crayons, mostly, and I didn't know how to sketch yet. My perspective was usually off by a lot, but I already had a good grasp of composition.

But the writing! My god, the writing! The grammar was attrocious, there were multiple mispellings, and I skipped around all over the place as far as the plot was concerned. I went on quite a tear about it, until Raizel banished me to Fred's place, where I continued ranting.

Fred listened to me rant, and waited until I wound down. "You done?" he asked me after a while. I nodded. "It wasn't the stories you wrote down, that I was reading. It was the stories you told me, while you were writing them." I stared at him, not really getting it. "Joshua, you were better at telling stories, than writing them. Back then, you couldn't hardly type, and I'm amazed your wife can read that chicken scratch you call cursive. It just took time for your fingers to catch up with that brain of yours, that's all."

"But," I started to protest, but Fred just rolled his eyes at me.

"Joshua, sometimes you get all riled about the _dumbest_ damn things. No one's lying to you about your talents. No one's playing you for a fool, okay?"

"Okay," I said, a bit--no, a lot--shamefaced. "Sorry."

Fred smiled at me. "It's all right," he said. "Since you're here anyway, you want to go over the story board for the latest Web story?"


	4. Letters: Family Affairs

**(Selected letters and other correspondence dated 1936, January-April)**

Dear Raizel,

What in the world are you thinking? It's bad enough that you're getting married to a crazy person, but he isn't even Jewish! And he's years younger than you! And what he does for a living! I wouldn't care so much (despite his not being Jewish) if he were a respectable writer, or a real artist, but this boy you seem so crazy about (according to your cousin Irene) draws comic books. Funny papers! Pulps! What kind of job is that?

Will he be able to support you? Weren't you going to school? You can't be a student and a wife at the same time, least of all the wife of a crazy person!

Your father and I are very concerned, and hurt that we had to hear about this second hand from your cousin.

Love,

Anna Bernstein

P.S. Is the date set at least? What about his family? Don't tell me THEY approve of this.

* * *

Dear Mother,

You and Dad don't have anything to worry about. Joshua has no problems with my going to school, and has done very well for himself since I first met him. As Irene obviously told you, Joshua is several years younger than I am, and he's a patient of Dr. Cohn. Joshua is not crazy, but he's been through a lot. (I won't go into exactly what, as that would be a breach of confidentiality.)

He's sweet and funny, and I think you'd like him if you gave him a chance. He has no family to object; he's an orphan. His friends for the most part don't have a problem with me.

I was going to write you to tell you, but it seems that Irene beat me to it. I wanted to introduce you both to him (and introduce him to the family) at the Lodge.

We're thinking about June or July.

Love,

Raizel

* * *

Irene,

You rat! I was going to break it to them gently, and let them get to know Joshua first but you had to go and spill the beans on me. Momma probably thinks poor Josh is an ax murderer or something now, thanks to you!

Annoyed, very annoyed and inclined to rip your hair out by the roots,

Cousin Raizel

P.S. And did you absolutely have to tell her he wasn't Jewish?!

* * *

Raizel,

I'm sorry! I have the will power of a marshmallow when your mother starts interrogating me, you know that! All she has to do is say "Irene, dear," and the next thing I know, I'm spilling my guts. I did my best to tell her only nice things about Joshua but she pried out the parts about where you met him, and how old he is.

Also, with a last name like "Christopher," I'm pretty sure you couldn't have kept it from her for very long.

Sorry and please don't kill me,

Cousin Irene

* * *

**(Telegrams between Raizel Bernstein and her brother, Alex.)**

TO: RAIZEL BERNSTEIN

FROM: ALEX BERNSTEIN

ARE YOU NUTS ROSIE POSIE? STOP.

TO: ALEX BERNSTEIN

FROM: RAIZEL BERNSTEIN

NO. STOP. SHUT UP. STOP. ARE YOU COMING TO THE LODGE THIS SUMMER? STOP.

TO: RAIZEL BERNSTEIN

FROM: ALEX BERNSTEIN

YES. STOP. I WANT WATCH THE FIREWORKS. STOP.

TO: ALEX BERNSTEIN

FROM: RAIZEL BERNSTEIN

NO FIREWORKS. STOP. KEEP BEING FUNNY BIG BROTHER. STOP. YOU MIGHT SEE STARS. STOP.

* * *

**(On a Catskills resort postcard)**

Mr. and Mrs. Bernstein,

I really enjoyed my time at the resort, and getting the chance to meet you and the rest of Raizel's family.

Sincerely,

Joshua Christopher

* * *

Honey,

Your mother had me worried when she first told me about this young man of yours. Even though you said there isn't anything really wrong with him, it seemed to me like there would still be too much going against you both. (As an example, when your Nana heard about it, she went through the roof.) So, I'm not going to go into any long speech, asking you if you're "sure about this." I'm pretty sure you are sure about it, or you wouldn't be getting married, right?

That said, I'm glad he joined us at the Lodge for the family vacation. He didn't seem all there all the time, but he seemed like a nice guy, and he got along with just about everyone (even Nana). That takes a certain amount of talent, considering the family arguments that usually get stirred up during our vacations. (Remember the one five years back, with your Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Hymie over Albert joining the Army? Good grief.)

I hope you're coming to visit soon, because your Mother is driving me insane about the wedding arrangements. Expect a phone call in the next couple days. Organza? What the heck do I know from Organza? I'm an engineer!

Love,

Dad


	5. Selected Journal Entries, Azmaria Hendric, 1931 to 1941

_ **Saturday, February 14, 1931** _

Dear Chrono and Rosette,

I've been wondering what Joshua's doctor might make of the way I always begin these journal entries. I always address them to one or the both of you, as if I were really writing a letter, as if I might recieve one from you in return.

When I write in this journal, I tell you both all that has gone on in my life, you are both the first to hear of my adventures and my transgressions, my successes and mistakes. (Truthfully, I make my confessions to you more readily than to the priest--you're certainly more forgiving than the stern Father Michael--and I say that remembering the times Rosette rapped me on the head for some foolishness on my part!)

I hope you can forgive me for what I must tell you now.

I know that I promised Rosette at her funeral that I would look after Joshua. I promised you both that I would be his friend, and that I would visit him. I promised all of these things, yet I never visited him until very recently. I kept telling myself I would go and see him, but I was afraid of what I would see. All I knew about Joshua was what Mary, Clare, and Anna had told me, what you and Chrono told me, and that horrible, terrifying battle between him and Chrono. I cannot say that I was afraid of him, but I could not bring myself to go see him.

It was Sister Kate who finally ordered me to go see Joshua. She told me I needed to face what had happened, and that the best place to start was by going to see Joshua. I tried to argue with her, but Sister Kate was determined, and I eventually relented. Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect. The reports from Mary and Clare were that Joshua was...slow. Slow and very childish. Unworldly.

The Joshua I met was nothing like that. I'm not sure how I can describe him to you, not in a way that makes any sense. Thoughtful should go with quiet and reserved, but Joshua is cheerful and exuberent. Gentle should go with unworldly, but Joshua is forthright and surprisingly assertive. He has moments when he'll lose a train of thought, or he'll call someone by the wrong name, but he always corrects himself.

I don't know how much he remembers (Ewan says nothing, but I have my doubts) but he did recognize me, after a fashion--he had seen me in the infirmary while he had been recuperating from the battle. He has so many questions, but he seems reluctant to ask them when Ewan is in the room. There seems to be some strain between them, though I don't know what might have been the cause.

I promise to do better, as always,

Love,

Azmaria

* * *

_ **April, Wednesday 12, 1933** _

Dear Chrono,

Joshua finally let me see the first episode of the story he and his friend Fred have been working on. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. He's been very shy about showing people his work since overhearing Clare being "soppy and condescending" (his own words--and I agree with him!) about it.

It was startling and sad of course, to see your face in his drawings and strangely dissonant because the story wasn't about you, not really. There are events in the story that are definitely memories, but the rest of the story is entirely Joshua's. I cried, reading those first eight pages, because it was almost exactly the same story you and Rosette told me, about how you three first met.

Joshua said something about how that wasn't exactly the effect he was going for, and I sort of laughed. "I'm sorry Joshua," I said to him. "It--it just reminded me of a story a friend of mine once told me."

His face fell. "You mean I might have heard this story from somewhere else?" He asked, sounding very disappointed. "Did I know this person before I was sick? I must have, if I heard the story, do you think I could meet him or her? I don't want to steal their story from them."

I wanted to tell him everything, right then. I couldn't, because Ewan and Kate didn't want to "upset" him with even a watered down version of the truth. "My friend died a few years ago. I don't think he'd mind if your story was based off of his," I said quietly. "I think he'd feel proud that you wanted to use it."

"Did I know him?" Joshua repeated.

I didn't know what else to say. I nodded. "Yes. You knew him." And because I knew he wouldn't let me get away with not giving a name, I said, "his name was Chrono."

Joshua asked questions about Chrono, about his name, where he was from, how I knew him. I gave as little information as I could, hiding behind the grief I felt while talking about you. I really did want to tell him everything. Some day soon I will, and damn the consequences. It isn't fair to your memory or to Joshua to keep him in the dark.

I promise to do better, as always,

Love,

Azmaria

* * *

_ **September, Monday 10, 1934** _

Dear Chrono and Rosette,

The relationship between Ewan and Joshua is growing more and more strained, and I have no idea of what to do about it, or if I should do anything.

Azmaria

* * *

_ **May, Tuesday 4, 1936** _

Ewan has disappeared.

* * *

_ **November, Friday 28, 1941** _

Dear Chrono and Rosette,

You will never believe what Joshua has done. Or maybe you will, because he has created a new "super-hero." Her name is "Nightingale" and she heals people by singing. On the rare occasions when she fights she uses tranquilizer darts and "an Ancient South American Martial Art." (It's capoeira, which I had seen while in Brazil, and told him about.) He says that he based her off of me, and I really don't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed.

He presented me with a copy of Virtue, where she makes her first appearance, healing a police man shot during a robbery. She looks nothing like me, having black hair and green eyes. If she looks like anyone, I would say she looks like Raizel, his wife.

Joshua has done so well for himself, I know you'd both be very proud of him. Joshua's comic book company has three titles now, including the original magazine they started with, which is still running The Astral Line. Raizel and Joshua have a son now, an adorable little boy named Benjamin. I wish you could both be here to see him.

I promise to do better, as always,

Love,

Azmaria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Capoeira is a form of martial arts fought or performed to music. It developed in Brazil and has strong African influences. It was mostly illegal or at least discouraged in its origin country until the forties or fifties, and didn't start spreading to the US until the nineties or so. No, I have no idea of what Az was doing watching a semi-illegal sport.


	6. See You at the Movies

**Colbert, Sean "Ghosts, Monsters, and Gabriel Hunter" movie review, Comics Revue December 13, 1999**

As a comic book, Gabriel Hunter is a hard title to pin down. It's part western, part super hero comic, and part horror. The combination of the three has always been an interesting mix, though the various writers of the title have usually emphasized one of the three over the others. Kyle Paxton, the director of _Gabriel Hunter _appears to have gone the route of concentrating on the horror aspects, pitting everyone's favorite cursed U.S. Marshal against one of his worst enemies, the literally diabolical No-Eyed Jack.

The opening scenes of the movie are a flashback of Hunter's origin story. Hunter (played by Nate Williams) is a Confederate soldier who returns home from the war only to discover that his home had been burnt to the ground. Confronted in the ruins by the ghost of Camilla (played by Antonia Clark), a young woman he "wronged" (and whose subesequent vengeance caused the fire), he's cursed to "live, remember, see and never forget," which gives him (among other things) a limited immortality, the ability to "see what no one else can see" and one hell of a guilt complex.

When we next see Gabriel Hunter he's a Marshal operating out of a town in northern California, still haunted by the spirit of Camilla who occasionally offers sarcastic comments or cryptic advice in equal measure. A series of gruesome murders puts him on the trail of No-Eyed Jack, a sort of cowboy themed serial killer who turns out to be a demon. The first encounter between Hunter and Jack is a definite defeat for Hunter, who is killed. Of course, Hunter doesn't stay dead for very long. He wakes up at the bottom of the ravine his body was dumped down, and stumbles home. What happens next is what amounts to all-out war between demon and lawman in which the rules of reality seem to bend and shift as Hunter discovers the more benign aspects of the abilities created by his curse.

Paxton does a great job directing this movie, and while Antonia Clark isn't the actress I would have chosen to play Camilla she does a great job portraying that combination of supernatural menace and unexpected compassion that's a hallmark of the character. Williams fits into the role of Hunter fairly well, but his attempts at portraying stoic endurance unfortunately comes out as brooding depression. Stephen Jackson as No-Eyed Jack was remarkably effective, and genuinely frightening--a truly amazing performance.

All in all I really enjoyed this movie, probably one of best comic book adaptations since _Batman_.

_Archivist's note: The views of the reviewer are not necessarily those of the archivist._


	7. Letters: The Shadow of You

**(Selected letters and other correspondence dated 1936, May-July) **

Dear Sister Kate,

As I'm sure Ewan has told you, I'm no longer living in his apartment. Instead, I'm sharing an apartment with my friend, Fred Williams. As I'm sure you also know, the reason why I left is because of an argument... **(Ed--last four words crossed out)** No, not because of an argument, because of a series of arguments all resulting from Ewan's refusal to tell me what I want to know, and in some cases out right lying to me, all in the name of protecting me from a past that's apparently too dreadful to contemplate.

Ewan may have told you that my memory has been returning. Which is true, in part. I'm remembering things, but they are badly fragmented, and some of them are so fantastical, I doubt that I could have experienced them as I remember them. When I went to Ewan, hoping to put the pieces together in a way that made sense, I was told that it was nothing that I needed to worry about, or that what I remembered hadn't happened. When I went to Azmaria, I could tell that there were things that she wanted to tell me, but couldn't.

I realize that during the time I was recovering from whatever happened during the riots in San Francisco that I was too ill to be told much of what had happened to me. Believe me when I say that I truly sympathize with what you and other members of the Order went through during those weeks, and I in no way blame you for the decision you made to keep me in the dark about my past. However, I am not longer that "childlike" and sickly person you and the other members of the Order needed to protect; thanks to Dr. Cohn and my friends I am mentally stable and can take care of myself.

In a few months time, I'm going to be getting married. Before I do that, I want to know about my past, and put whatever ghosts there to rest. In order to do that, I'm going to need your help. Please tell me what happened on that night in San Francisco. Did I kill someone that night? If I killed someone, why aren't I in prison? What happened to my sister? Did she die? What caused the riots? Who is Chrono? I have so many questions, Sister Kate, and I'd like to get some answers.

Sincerely,

Joshua Christopher

* * *

Dear Joshua,

I'm sorry that the situation between you and Ewan has come to this. I had no idea that the trouble between you was so severe, though I suppose I should have realized that something was going on. Azmaria had hinted that you and Ewan were having difficulties, but you were doing so well that I didn't think to investigate further.

I'm also sorry that we kept so much from you, but at the time, we felt that we were acting in your best interest. I can't begin to tell you how frightened we were of the damage that had been done to your mind and body. You almost died several times that night, and were sick for a long time after. We believed at the time that the damage was permanent, and that it wasn't likely that you'd recover at all, let alone as much as you have.

Ewan had not told me that you were beginning to remember things, and I think I'd like to know why as much as you probably do. I'll try to answer all the questions I can, but bear in mind that there are certain things that I'm restricted from telling you, not because you are sickly or "fragile" but because you are not a member of the Order. What I can tell you is that your sister Rosette and her partner Chrono were both incredibly brave, loving, and kindhearted. I realize from my description that they may seem saintly, but I don't mean to imply that in the slightest. Rosette in particular was extremely headstrong and impulsive, but they were both very good people, and fine exorcists. They both died roughly six months after a final encounter with their enemy, the demon ultimately responsible for the riots and destruction in San Francisco.

Your part in what happened is complicated, and touches upon things I'm not allowed to tell you. I can tell you however that you are not a murderer. You may have memories of stabbing or shooting someone, but the wounds were not fatal. Please try to put your mind at rest on that matter, I know that the person you wounded never blamed you for what happened.

Sincerely,

Sister Kate Valentine,

Madgalen Order New York Branch

* * *

Joshua,

I hope you aren't angry with me. Sister Kate and Mr. Remington wouldn't let me tell you anything about your sister, or about Chrono because they were afraid it would be too much of a burden for you. It wasn't fair to you, to keep you in the dark like that, but I went along with their directions...**(Ed--sentence crossed out: "because I didn't know what else to do")** because I was afraid too. Afraid of blaming you, for what wasn't your fault, afraid of causing you pain you don't deserve.

There isn't a lot I can tell you about your sister, or Chrono. Or it might be better said that I can tell you a great deal about them, but not very much about your shared past. You can probably get more information from Sister Kate, or Mary, Anna and Claire. (I know you don't like them very much, but they really do mean well.) I might be able to help you get copies of whatever records are at the orphanage.

Sincerely,

Azmaria Hendric

P.S. Enclosed is a copy of a picture taken of the four of us at a carnival. The woman on the left is Satella Harvenheit. The girl on the right is your sister Rosette, and the boy is Chrono.

* * *

Dear Azmaria,

Don't be ridiculous. I'm not angry at you, Sister Kate, or even the three nanny goats Gruff. I'm saving up all the bile and spite for Ewan. Though that probably isn't fair either. The Order has done a lot for me, and so has Ewan. I just hate the idea that there are things that you, all of you felt that you had to keep from me.

I'd like you to tell me anything at all you remember about my sister, and Chrono. It doesn't matter that you don't know everything, even a little would be more than enough. Please do get the records, or copies. Would it be at all possible to go there? To the orphanage I mean. I spoke to Sister Kate on the phone, and asked her about it, and from her hesitation, I get the feeling that something might have happened there as well.

You and the others will probably be getting the invitations soon, but I'd like to invite you all to the wedding reception. The wedding is at the end of July, and I and Raizel really look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Joshua Christopher

P.S. I know darn well that the "boy" in the picture isn't human, so you and Sister Kate can stop tip-toeing around the subject.

**(Ed--The following post, post script is in Raizel Christopher nee Bernstein's handwriting.)**

P.P.S. Joshua wrote this letter after a luncheon that ended in an argument at the convent. Please don't read too much into the tone.

* * *

Dear Mr. Christopher,

Since the oldest children have left the orphanage, and the younger children most likely won't recognize you, I have no objection to you visiting the orphanage.

Sincerely,

Miss Jean Spencer,

Seventh Bell Orphanage

 


End file.
